Freshman guard Jase Richardson — son of MSU All-American and national champion Jason Richardson — already understood that March basketball is different. Nairn, shaped by his own tournament experiences, delivered a direct and powerful message.

"Be ready. It’s March. Anything can happen, so you got to be ready," Richardson recalled Nairn telling the Spartans. 

This Michigan State team, coming off a 26-win regular season and outright Big Ten championship, has been largely resolute this season. But Saturday’s narrow Big Ten Tournament loss to Wisconsin — where a few late miscues cost the Spartans a chance at another title — served as a stark reminder of how quickly things can slip away when playing for championships. 

As No. 2 seed MSU begins NCAA Tournament play Friday in Cleveland against No. 15 seed Bryant, it faces another opponent capable of testing its preparedness and poise. 

Head coach Tom Izzo believes his group recognizes its potential and, perhaps more importantly, its vulnerabilities. 

"I think this team feels comfortable that we can be good enough to make a deep run," Izzo said. "And yet, I think they’re smart enough to know that our margin for error is not great, like some of the teams I’ve had."

Bryant — champion of the America East Conference — is the classic March underdog that gives high seeds trouble. The Bulldogs push the tempo, scoring 80+ points in 20 games this season, and boast a veteran-heavy lineup with guards built like forwards and forwards who play like guards.

Their top scorers, 6-foot-6 Rafael Pinzon (18.5 points per game) and 6-foot-6 Earl Timberlake (15.5 points and 8.2 rebounds), present challenges at all three levels offensively. 6-foot-8 forward Connor Withers stretches defenses from deep. 

But it’s 6-foot-8 forward Barry Evans who best symbolizes the nuance that makes matchups like this one tricky. He’s not Bryant's leading scorer, nor the first name on the scouting report, but Evans — averaging 13.5 points and seven rebounds per game — fits the mold of the versatile, hybrid player who tends to be the X-factor in high-seed upsets. 

"Evans is a problem because he’s a 6-8 four-man who really plays like a two-guard," Izzo said. "And he can handle it, he can pass it, he can shoot it. And that’s where the mismatch and matchup problems come to light."

MSU, though, feels it’s uniquely prepared for March’s challenges after navigating a late-season gauntlet. 

The Spartans won eight straight games against Quad 1 opponents per the NCAA Net Rankings to close the regular season, handling difficult road tests and quick turnarounds. It sharpened MSU’s connectedness and ability to perform under pressure brought by the NCAA Tournament’s one-and-done model.  

"I think the way we played the last 7, 8, 9 games when we had a lot on the line and a lot of pressure on us, tough part of our schedule, tough part of the two-days preps, everything," Izzo said. "We really rallied together, and so I think they’re hungry to accomplish something."

But even for a battle-tested group, no regular-season success fully simulates the pressure of March Madness, especially for freshmen Richardson, Jeremy Fears Jr. and transfer forward Frankie Fidler, who have yet to experience it. 

"The biggest fear I have with all new guys that haven’t been through it is there is a difference between games and playing for championships," Izzo said. "There’s a difference between playing regular season and playing in one-and-done time. We saw it in our Wisconsin game. A couple mistakes, and all of a sudden, you’re going home."

The lessons are there and the stakes are known. March doesn’t wait for slow learners.

MSU’s pursuit of glory begins Friday at 10 p.m.